Japan

The Ministry of the Environment of Japan reported that Japan Oil, Gas and Metals Corp. (JOGMEC) had extracted natural gas from methane hydrates. In early May, the company successfully produced the first batch of gas from methane. The gas forms from methane and water at high pressure and low temperatures found in the Arctic Region […]...

Sumitomo Chemical Company is advancing polypropylene compound business internationally. Strong strategic initiatives drive Sumitomo Chemical to strengthen its polypropylene business in India and Mexico by opening a new marketing base and extending manufacturing capabilities. Glass fibres, synthetic rubber and inorganic fillers are the base materials for polypropylene compounds that make PP impact resistant and functional. […]...

Mutual efforts of scientists from University of Wisconsin-Madison and Osaka University, Japan, result in a new cost-effective method of catalytic reaction in fuel cells. Due to this method, a cheaper material can replace platinum. A different view on the complicated reaction mechanisms to generate electrons and protons from fuel cells enabled to discover that there […]...

Asian PS sellers have recently held firm on their prices despite the significant declines witnessed in upstream markets late last week, as per Chemorbis. Regional producers brushed off this slump in upstream costs as only temporary while electing to leave prices unchanged after PS prices had risen along with styrene feedstock costs earlier in the […]...

Since a massive earthquake, the largest to hit the country in the last 120 years, followed by a tsunami, rocked the north of Japan at the end of last week, both the upstream and the downstream markets across the globe have witnessed rapid changes as a response to this disaster. According to market sources, the […]...

Japan’s naphtha imports for the petrochemical sector rose 2.3% in December 2010, compared to same month in 2009. Imports of naphtha for ethylene production amounted to 1,549,841t during December, according to data from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Naphtha imports totalled 1,515,401t in December 2009 and 1,654,586t in November, according to Reuters. Naphtha […]...

Benzene-naphtha spread in Asia has peaked to a nine-month high on Thursday to US$265.75/mt, as prices for the aromatic surged to a 28 month high on Wednesday, Platts data showed. The spread is the widest since levels seen on April 7 at US$267.50/mt. The surge in Asian benzene prices is the result of strong prompt […]...

Japan’s naphtha imports for the petrochemical sector rose 2.3% in December 2010 vs December 2009, as per government figures. This marks the third consecutive gain. Imports of naphtha for ethylene production amounted to 1,549,841 tons in this period, as per the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, vs 1,515,401 tons in December 2010, and 1,654,586 […]...

Singapore’s Jurong island is all set to welcome two more synthetic rubber manufacturers. Two more investors, Sumitomo Chemical and Asahi Kasei Chemical, are setting up their latest S-SBR plants there – believed to cost hundreds of millions of dollars each – joining Germany’s Lanxess which is building a 400 million euros (S$712 million) butyl rubber […]...

Japanese ethylene production has fallen from 663,300 tons in December 2009 to 645,700 tons in December 2010 as per government data. This by 2.7% decline marks the second consecutive month of year-on-year decline amid weak demand, as per Reuters. December output was up 3.2% from 625,400 tons in November. Both December 2010 and December 2009 […]...

Propylene Glycol is a highly utilized product as it is used in anti-freeze, brake and hydraulic fluid, de-icer, paints and coatings, floor wax, laundry detergents, pet food, tobacco, cosmetics, toothpastes, shampoos, deodorants, lotions, processed foods and many more personal care items. The largest outlet for propylene glycol (PG) is unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs) which are […]...

CRUDE OIL Yo-yoing oil prices have ended the week of November 1, 2010 a tad higher than last week. Oil for December delivery rose to US$81.96 on the Nymex, while Brent crude for December settlement rose to US$83.36 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe exchange. Speculations of another round of credit-easing measures by the US […]...

CRUDE OIL Crude oil prices have moved up to end the week of October 25, 2010 at US$81.7 on the Nymex while Brent crude for December traded at US$83.4 on the ICE Futures Europe exchange. An on going strike in France is expected to lead to a rise in French demand for imported fuel. A […]...

Robust industry demand has led Asian naphtha prices to recover to a three-session high midweek, while cracks rebounded from a near two-week low to reach their highest in a week, as per Reuters. Amid ample supplies, sentiments have been boosted as South Korea’s Honam Petrochemical and Samsung Total, and Japan’s Exxon and Tosoh seek cargoes […]...

In the end of 2009 around 40% animal feed producers in Vietnam announced plant closures, about 20-30% of them reduced their production output to avoid losses caused by decreasing prices of raw material in the world agriculture market. The rest of animal feed producers faced the challenge and sustained losses to retain customers. Only in […]...

Naphtha margins in Asia fell to US$130.70/ton; the lowest in at least two weeks on speculation that Japan may recommend reducing tax breaks on naphtha cargoes, as per Bloomberg. Japan is one of the biggest importers of the fuel in Asia. A Japanese government tax panel will recommend reducing tax breaks on procurement of naphtha […]...

In Asia, spot styrene prices recorded noticeable increases over the past week, moving up by over US$50/ton in a week’s time, gaining support from the higher energy prices as well as the planned maintenance shutdowns in the region, as per Chemorbis. The spot styrene market sees support from the higher energy costs as oil prices […]...

Asian spot ethylene prices reached a four month high on the last working day of last week, as per Chemorbis. Spot prices both in Northeast and Southeast Asia recorded significant increases during this past week while strong demand, triggered by shutdowns, was the main driver behind this rise despite the approaching National Day holiday in […]...